Living vicariously through myself

So after some time, I finally found out why I didn't get the job in Lafayette, and it's sort of interesting:

The news director there said he felt I should be in a larger market, not in the two-person news team they have there. This is interesting for a few reasons:

1. The job market is such that it's kinda hard to start in a larger market (though I may get that shot -- I'll explain more in a second). The news director knew my background completely, and knew this was a first job.

2. The job I got offered in Ottawa was even smaller (obviously) than the Lafayette position -- two people reporting the obits and the town gossip, more or less. Strangely, it would have been the same money (around $25,000). The Lafayette news director was flabbergasted when he heard I'd been offered "so much" by such a small station.

3. This reasoning may prove to be fortuitous after all. When I was at DePauw last week, I got an e-mail from the news director at WIBC / Network Indiana in Indianapolis, who I've known for about a year and a half now. She told me about a job at Network Indiana before she'd even posted it, and said "While I can't say the job is yours, you've done all the right things" (to get the position). She asked me to send her some more clips and writing, because she has to justify her picking a new person to her boss and wanted more fodder to help me out, it seems. This would be the dream starting job, and would cut 1-2 steps off the path back to Chicago news, in theory. Not to mention the money is probably better and it's an on-air broadcast job in a top 25 market as a first job -- something that's almost unheard of.

If I get the job, I'll buy everyone in the duplex at DePauw dinner at La Charreada for putting up with me as I tried to find work.

Well, I did not get the Lafayette job, and I say good riddance. It gives me more free time and another chance to maybe find something in the Chicagoland area. And it gives me more free time to go hang out with DPU people on their fall break. There are tons of jobs and now I can find one that fits me better and maybe one that pays better.

than steal surveys from Megan... Megan, you've been elected to public office? When will I see you on my local ballot? And for what post?


01. Bought everyone in the pub a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Lamborghini Diablo for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree (literally)
10. Done a striptease
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long, and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Touched an iceberg
20. Slept under the stars
21. Changed a baby's diaper
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
23. Watched a meteor shower
24. Gotten drunk on champagne
25. Given more than you can afford to charity
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
28. Had a food fight
29. Bet on a winning horse
30. Called in sick when you were not ill
31. Asked out a stranger
32. Had a snowball fight
33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier
34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
35. Held a lamb
36. Enacted a favorite fantasy
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip
38. Taken an ice cold bath (showers do count)
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
40. Seen a total eclipse
41. Ridden a roller coaster
42. Hit a home run
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
48. Had two hard drives for your computer (I do right now)
49. Visited all 50 states/every county
50. Loved your job
51. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
53. Had amazing friends
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
55. Watched wild whales
56. Stolen a sign
57. Backpacked in Europe
58. Taken a road-trip
59. Rock climbing
60. Lied to foreign government's official in that country to avoid notice
61. Midnight walk on the beach
63. Visited Ireland
64. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
65. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
66. Visited Japan
67. Benchpressed your own weight
68. Milked a cow
69. Alphabetized your records
70. Pretended to be a superhero
71. Sung karaoke
72. Lounged around in bed all day
73. Posed nude in front of strangers
74. Scuba diving
75. Got it on to "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye
76. Kissed in the rain
77. Played in the mud.
78. Played in the rain
79. Gone to a drive-in theater
80. Done something you should regret, but don't regret it
81. Visited the Great Wall of China
82. Discovered that someone who's not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog
83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better
84. Started a business
85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
86. Toured ancient sites
87. Taken a martial arts class
88. Swordfought for the honor of a woman
89. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
90. Gotten married
91. Been in a movie
92. Crashed a party
93. Loved someone you shouldn't have
94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy
96. Had sex at the office
97. Gone without food for 5 days
98. Made cookies from scratch
99. Won first prize in a costume contest
100. Ridden a gondola in Venice
101. Gotten a tattoo
102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on
103. Rafted the Snake River
104. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
105. Got flowers for no reason
106. Masturbated in a public place
107. Got so wasted you don't remember anything
108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug
109. Performed on stage
110. Been to Las Vegas
111. Recorded music
112. Eaten shark
113. Had a one-night stand
114. Gone to Thailand
115. Seen Siouxsie live
116. Bought a house
117. Been in a combat zone
118. Buried one/both of your parents
119. Shaved or waxed your pubic hair off
120. Been on a cruise ship
121. Spoken more than one language fluently
122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
123. Bounced a check
124. Performed in Rocky Horror
125. Read - and understood - your credit report
126. Raised children
127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
129. Created and named your own constellation of stars
130. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
132. Called or written your Congress person/Member of Parliament
133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
134. ...more than once?
135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge/Q E II Bridge
136. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking (all the time)
137. Had an abortion or your female partner did
138. Had plastic surgery
139. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
140. Wrote articles for a large publication
141. Lost over 100 pounds
142. Held someone while they were having a flashback
143. Piloted an airplane
144. Pet a stingray
145. Broken someone's heart?
146. Helped an animal give birth
147. Been fired or laid off from a job
148. Won money on a T.V. game show
149. Broken a bone
151. Gone on an African photo safari
152. Ridden a motorcycle
153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100mph
154. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
157. Ridden a horse
158. Had major surgery
159. Had sex on a moving train
160. Had a snake as a pet
161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
162. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
164. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
165. Visited all 7 continents
166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
167. Eaten kangaroo meat
168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground
169. Been a sperm or egg donor
170. Eaten sushi
171. Had your picture in the newspaper
172. Had 2 (or more) healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime
173. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
174. Gotten someone fired for their actions
175. Gone back to school
176. Parasailed
177. Changed your name
178. Pet a cockroach
179. Eaten fried green tomatoes
180. Read The Iliad
181. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
182. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them
183. ...and gotten 86'ed from the restaurant because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you
184. Taught yourself an art from scratch (nobody's taught me anything about photography or playing guitar)
185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
187. Skipped all your school reunions
188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
189. Been elected to public office
190. Written your own computer language
191. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
193. Built your own PC from parts
194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
195. Had a booth at a street fair
196: Dyed your hair
197: Been a DJ
198: Found out someone was going to dump you via LiveJournal
199: Written your own role playing game
200: Been arrested

(_) been drunk
(x) kissed a member of the opposite sex
(_) kissed a member of the same sex
(_) crashed a friend's car
(_) been to Japan
(x) ridden in a taxi
(?) been in love
(x) been dumped
(x) shoplifted
(_) been fired
(x) been in a fist fight
(x) snuck out of my parent's house
(_) ever had a crush on someone of the same sex
(_) ever dated someone of the same sex
(x) had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
(_) been arrested
(_) made out with a stranger
(_) stole something from my job
(_) celebrated New Year's in Time Square
(_) gone on a blind date
(x) lied to a friend
(_) had a crush on a teacher
(_) celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans
(_) been to Europe
(x) skipped school
(x) slept with a co-worker
(_) cut myself on purpose
(_) been married
(_) gotten divorced
(_) had children
(_) seen someone die
(_) been to Africa
(x) had a crush on one of my Livejournal friends
(x) Slapped someone I loved
(_) Driven over 400 miles to attend a show/festival/fetish ball
(_) Been to Canada
(_) Been to Mexico
(x) Been on a plane
(_) Seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show
(_) Thrown up in a bar
(_) Purposely set a part of myself on fire
(x) Eaten Sushi
(_) Been snowboarding
(x) Met someone in person from the internet
(_) Had real feelings for someone you knew only online
(_) Taken partially nude/nude photos of yourself
(_) Been in an abusive relationship
(_) been pregnant or got someone pregnant
(_) lost a child
(x) gone to college
(TWICE!) graduated college

First, two good songs I heard in succession on WXRT this weekend:

"I Wanna Grow Up to be a Politician," by the Byrds

I wanna grow up to be a politician
and take over this beautiful land
I wanna grow up to be a politician
and be the old U S of A´s number one man
I´ll always be tough,
I´ll never be scary
I want to shoot guns or butter my bread
I´ll work on the towns or conservate the prairies
And you can believe the future´s ahead
I´ll give the young the right to vote
as soon as they mature
But spare the rod and spoil the child
to help them feel secure
And if I win election day
I´ll sign the bill to help the poor
to show I´m not snob
I´ll open my door, I´m chargin´ no admission
And you can be sure I´ll give you my hand
I´ll be glad you got me in everything I do
and I´ll defend until the end
the old red, white and blue

"Political Science," by Randy Newman

No one likes us-I don't know why
We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try
But all around, even our old friends put us down
Let's drop the big one and see what happens

We give them money-but are they grateful?
No, they're spiteful and they're hateful
They don't respect us-so let's surprise them
We'll drop the big one and pulverize them

Asia's crowded and Europe's too old
Africa is far too hotAnd Canada's too cold
And South America stole our name
Let's drop the big one
There'll be no one left to blame us

We'll save Australia
Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo
We'll build an All American amusement park there
They got surfin', too

Boom goes London and boom Paree
More room for you and more room for me
And every city the whole world round
Will just be another American town
Oh, how peaceful it will be
We'll set everybody free
You'll wear a Japanese kimono
And there'll be Italian shoes for me

They all hate us anyhow
So let's drop the big one now
Let's drop the big one now

Next, it seems a lot of people are taking walks these days. Perhaps this is something I don't do enough of. I get out, but it's usually to play tennis or go buy something. Hmm...something to think about, I guess.

This week should be a good one. I have an interview, I get to see DPU people and I get to play quiz bowl in Iowa. And maybe, if I'm real lucky, I'll have a news operation interested in me by the end of the weekend.